Evolution
by YappiChick
Summary: A month ago, their two peoples were sworn enemies, now, in order to insure the success of their mission, they needed to be brothers in arms. Set during Halo 3


**This was written for pinkpolarity who kindly placed a bid on my auction over at the help_haiti comm. Also, a huge shout out to the halo wiki site, which is the most awesome place for all things Halo. There is one line from Fall of Reach...blink and you'll miss it. Enjoy!**

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**November 17, 2552  
East African Jungle, Earth **

Twenty-three Spartans killed.

Twenty-eight years of fighting.

Seventy-six planets glassed.

Now, the enemy John had been fighting for so long was to be considered an ally.

Years of battles told John not to trust the Sangheili standing next to him and eliminate who he considered to be the enemy.

Years of being a Spartan, trained to obey every command no matter how much he may have disagreed with it, silenced the voice and focused on the mission at hand.

The Chief followed closely behind the Arbiter, scanning the heavily treed area for any signs of the Covenant. Seeing a Jackal, he fired his weapon, immediately eliminating the threat. He tensed as the Arbiter turned towards him, stabbing a Grunt with his energy sword to the side of him.

"Do not fear me, Spartan," the Sangheili said. "My quest for vengeance lies with those who betrayed my people, not with you."

John walked forward, not acknowledging his words. The Chief had no doubt that the Elite would not harm him; he was stranded on Earth. If he did threaten the Chief in any way, whatever fragile alliance Johnson and Keyes had made would be over.

Still, his instinct told him to be on his guard. He had seen too many unprepared soldiers fall at the hand of a Sangheili.

To his surprise, the Arbiter seemed amused. "I told your people you would not trust me," he replied as he pushed through the brush.

"I don't," John said simply as he unloaded several bullets in a passing Grunt. "Your people have murdered millions of humans."

"We were deceived by the lies of the Prophets," he countered. He paused as the Chief shot an unsuspecting Brute from behind.

"Allow our mutual hatred for those…vermin be the foundation of our truce. Your people despise them as much as mine do. Let us work together to exterminate those who have massacred our people," the Arbiter suggested.

John looked at him. It was _his _kind that destroyed Reach. It was _his _people's dedication to the Prophets that caused planet after planet to be glassed. It was _his _service to Truth that caused the Index to fall into the hands of the enemy, forcing Cortana to be left behind.

No, the Chief thought firmly, he could never fully trust the Sangheili standing next to him. Not after all that had happened throughout the war.

Despite the unshakable feeling of distrust, John knew he had to look past his emotions. He had a mission to complete, a fight to finish. The Arbiter and his people were a valuable asset to his success.

They weren't his friends, but they weren't his enemies either.

Chief Mendez had taught him to use whatever resources he had to win the battle. To ignore an offer of peace, even if it ended up being temporary, would be foolish. Better to fight united on one front than divided amongst two.

The Chief finally nodded. "Let's go get Truth."

**November 18, 2552  
Shadow of Intent, Covenant Separatist Assault Carrier **

It felt strange to the Master Chief to walk down the corridors of an Assault Carrier without his firearm ready to shoot any moving target he saw. John resisted the urge to grab his pistol as he passed a group of Sangheili.

They, of course, eyed the Master Chief with undisguised disgust, but they made no moves to harm him as he walked by. "Will another Prophet suffer by your hand, Demon?" one of them asked, snarling slightly. "Or will you allow one of our own to strike him?"

John didn't reply. He stayed focused on getting to the hangar with no confrontations with the Elites. Most of them stayed out of his way, whether if it was due to fear of him or out of respect for the Arbiter, John didn't know; he was just grateful that he was left alone.

He watched the Sangheili move around the ship, all preparing for the journey through the Portal.

The Portal.

John knew Cortana's solution was risky, but he couldn't sit around waiting for the Gravemind to send High Charity to Earth and hope their defenses would hold against an attack from the Flood.

He was a Spartan. If there was a way to get a tactical advantage over the enemy, no matter the risk, he would take it.

There was no question Cortana had been damaged from her time with the Gravemind, but John believed this Ark she spoke about would lead to the destruction of the Flood. It was almost expected for him to trust Cortana, no matter had badly she may have been corrupted after all they had gone through together.

However, the Chief was surprised at the Sangheili's readiness to believe what she had to say. Neither the Arbiter nor the Ship Master questioned the authenticity of her words, to wonder whether or not a Gravemind was really on his way to Earth. They accepted her words as facts.

He doubted he would have been so trusting if the positions were reversed.

As he turned the corner, Guilty Spark approached him, floating above his head. "Reclaimer!" he greeted merrily. "You will be pleased to know that all battle cruisers will be ready to travel through the Portal with five of your Earth minutes."

John frowned; he didn't have much time to see Lord Hood off the ship. The Chief nodded his thanks as he continued to make his way to the hangar. The Monitor, however, wasn't finished with the conversation.

"I cannot believe we are going to the Ark! How exciting!" he continued elatedly. "I always knew there was a possibility of a Reclaimer returning there, but I never thought I would get the chance to see it for myself. If only the other Monitors could see me now," he finished with a giggle.

John kept silent, hoping Guilty Spark would take the hint and find someone else to bother. Unfortunately for the Spartan, protocol did not dictate that the Monitor should leave him alone.

"Of course," he said, floating right by the Chief's visor. "I am most perplexed by the fact you are allowing the Sangheili to travel through the Portal to assist with the fight against the Flood and continue their fight with Truth. On my Installation your two species were most inhospitable to each other," he noted.

Suddenly, John's visor was filled with the blue, blurred image of Cortana. A wave of dizziness washed over him as she started speaking. "We will use them to broker a truce, possibly even negotiate a peace treaty," she said in a flat tone of voice.

John recognized the words, of course, he had heard them before the attack on Reach. But the words were not her own.

He shifted uneasily. What was going on with Cortana?

Then, as quickly as it started, image of the familiar AI was gone.

"Strange," Guilty Spark replied, looking directly at the Chief. "I detected an unusual subspace transmission coming from your position."

John ignored his observation and turned the conversation away from that topic. "Sometimes during war the rules of engagement change," he answered.

The Monitor turned slightly to the side, as if to study the Chief more carefully. "You are certainly more trusting than I assumed you to be, Reclaimer," he replied. "I doubt the Forerunners-"

Fortunately for John, a familiar voice cut through the corridor. "Oracle!" the Arbiter called. "Your presence is needed on the bridge. The Ship Master is waiting for you."

"Excuse me, Reclaimer," said the Monitor, oddly informal.

John nodded in appreciation as the Arbiter walked to him, matching his stride. "Before we travel through the Portal, there is one thing I must know, Spartan."

The Chief looked at him suspiciously. While it was true that they had fought well against the Covenant forces on the ground, John still didn't know what to expect from the Sangheili. "What's that?"

"The lies the Prophets have spread must be dealt with. Truth will pay for the spilled blood of my people. If you find him before I do, allow me the satisfaction of killing him myself," the Arbiter requested.

The Chief understood the need to pay back those who had wronged his people. It was the sole reason why he could not-and would not-forgive the actions of the Arbiter and his people during the decades-old war.

Part of him wondered if after the Arbiter's thirst for revenge had been quenched, the Sangheili would remember that humans killed many more of his kind than the Brutes ever did and end the alliance between their people.

As if sensing his line of thinking-and perhaps he had-the Arbiter stopped walking and faced the Chief. "Your world holds the Portal that will lead us to Truth." He looked away slightly. "Though we were misled by the twisted lies of the Prophets, it is clear now you are the children of the Forerunners. I will give you my word that your world will not be harmed by my people."

Several seconds passed as John considered his words. A month ago, their two peoples were sworn enemies, now, in order to insure the success of their mission, they needed to be brothers in arms.

He wondered what his fellow Spartans would say. Would they tell him to stay on guard or would they be accepting of this new alliance? John wasn't sure.

Still, with so few options left, John was left with little to do except to accept the Arbiter at his words. "I'll hold you to that," the Chief finally replied. "And Truth is all yours."

Pleased with his answer, the Arbiter walked away, but the Chief wasn't alone for long. He heard familiar footsteps approaching from behind him.

"How much did you hear?" the Chief asked Johnson as he continued walking towards the hangar.

"Long enough," he answered, chewing on the end of cigar. "Think he's tellin' the truth? That they aren't gonna come back and kick our asses?"

They watched the Sangheili turn the corner, away from them.

So far, the Arbiter had done nothing to make the Chief question the truthfulness of his words. He knew as long as he had sway over the Sangheili, then Earth would be protected. "Yeah, I do," he answered.

Johnson considered the Chief's words. "Damned if I do too. Nothin' like a little alliance founded on hate for the cockiest bastards in the galaxy." He frowned. "I think convincing the others is gonna be a problem though."

John knew the Sergeant was right. The soldiers, especially the ODSTs, were going to be less than thrilled about the fact the Sangheili were going to be fighting by their sides. He knew based on the encounter with the Elites in the corridor that they weren't going to be happy either.

They would have to put aside their differences for the benefit of the war. They couldn't waste time worrying about fighting breaking out between the UNSC and Covenant Separatist forces.

"They'll have to follow Lord Hood's orders," replied John.

Johnson nodded. "Don't worry about it, Chief," the Sergeant said as they walked into the hangar, filled with soldiers and equipment. "I've got a plan. Call it a 'what's mine is yours and what's yours is mine' mindset. I'll see if I can get the Arbiter on board with the idea," he said with a smirk.

The two of them looked across the bay and saw Lord Hood walking with Miranda to his transport. "Go, see him off," Johnson said, excusing him from their conversation. "I've got a plan to hatch."

The Chief walked across the room knowing the eyes of everyone, human and Sangheili, were on him. Finally, he approached the two officers.

"I want a status report every twelve hours, Commander," Lord Hood instructed. "As long as the Portal is open, we should be able to receive transmissions instantaneously."

Miranda nodded. "Yes, sir."

The older man turned his gaze from the Commander to the Spartan. "Are you sure about this, Master Chief?" he asked, shaking his head slightly.

John looked back where the groups of humans and Sangheili were waiting, watching as Johnson picked up a plasma rifle from the ground near an Elite Major. Though the group of Elites stood up, trying to intimidate him, they never attacked Johnson. Across the room, he saw the Arbiter with a rocket launcher and flamethrower, walking between a couple of ODSTs.

The Arbiter caught his attention and nodded slowly at him. Whatever resistance the others may have, it was clear that the Arbiter and Johnson were going to do whatever it took to make this alliance work.

"Sir, yes, sir," the Chief answered confidently.

Lord Hood sighed, unconvinced. "Watch each other's back. That way you won't be surprised if the Elites try to stab you there."

The Chief and Miranda said nothing as he walked onto the platform. "Good luck," he finally said as the doors started to rise.

"Thank you, sir," Miranda answered.

After the doors closed, the two of them walked down the ramp silently, each lost in their own thoughts. As they approached the center of the room, the Arbiter approached them. "We cannot wait any longer. We have given Truth enough of a head start."

"Our fleet is ready," Miranda replied, walking slightly ahead of the two warriors.

"It will be a day of victory for our two people," the Sangheili said confidently. "This is the dawn of a new beginning."

John nodded, allowing himself to believe the Arbiter's words. "Together," he replied, "we will finish the fight."

**December 25, 2552  
Forward Unto Dawn, UNSC Frigate **

The price had been high, but the war was finally over. The Covenant and the Flood had been defeated.

John pressed the console, removing the matrix chip containing Cortana, hoping the Arbiter had enough time to reach the bridge.

The transformation of their relationship was nothing short of remarkable. Six weeks ago, John would have seen the Arbiter as nothing more than an enemy to be eliminated. Now, it was up to the Arbiter to guide them back to Earth.

He felt the familiar cool rush wash over him as he inserted the matrix chip into his neural uplink. Cortana spoke softly. "If we don't make it…" she began.

"We'll make it," John said confidently, not wanting her to finish her sentence.

Failure at this point was not an option for him. After all he had been through, after all the battles he had fought, after all the friends he had lost, John would finally see the fruits of his labor.

Peace.

Now, with the destruction of the Flood and the annihilation of the Prophets, the treaty between the humans and Sangheili would be secure. John was certain of that.

Cortana continued, "It's been an honor serving with you, John."

The Chief leaned back against the control panel as the light of the exploding Halo crept into the open hangar. Exhausted and knowing there was nothing else he could do, John closed his eyes.

His fate was in the Arbiter's hands now.


End file.
